Mistletoe and Wine
by Firebird9
Summary: Christmas fic. Nick and Sara find themselves under the mistletoe... twice.
1. Mistletoe

**Mistletoe and Wine (or 'The Obligatory Christmas Fic')**

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI.

**Author's note:** Just a little something until I write some more chapters for Snapshots.

**Chapter One: Mistletoe**

December 23

"Hey Grissom."

"Hey Nick." Grissom paused, then turned to look back at the younger man, who he had just passed in the corridor. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to Texas?"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Flight got cancelled. I figured since I wasn't going anywhere I'd stop by the lab and see if anyone needed a hand."

Grissom smiled. "That is quite possibly the best Christmas present I have received so far. Greg's processing an armed hold-up at a 7-11. Clark was shot. You might like to see if he could use your help."

"No problem."

"And Nick? Let him take the lead on this one. It's a simple case and it will build his confidence."

"Understood."

The case was indeed a simple one and it soon looked likely that the suspect would be in custody by the end of the night, so Nick decided to take it easy and headed to the break-room for a coffee.

"Hey Nick." Sara looked up, surprised, from the journal she was reading. "Aren't you supposed to be-"

"On my way to Texas?" he finished for her. "Yeah." He sighed. "Vegas is about the only major airport in the country that isn't fogbound or caught in a snowstorm. Everything's either delayed, cancelled or 'on stand-by'." He made a face.

"Couldn't you wait for another flight?"

He shrugged. "It's already Christmas Eve." He pointed to the clock, which confirmed that it was, indeed, past midnight. "I figure, anything's better than spending the holiday in an airport."

"Gee Nick, way to make us feel special." She rose. "I'd better get back to work."

She was about to walk out of the room when Greg yelled from the corridor:

"Hey Nick! Vega just called: they located our suspect!"

The younger CSI sounded excited, and no wonder. An arrest in his first-ever lead case would be one heck of a Christmas present. Nick grinned and stepped towards the door at exactly the same moment as Sara. They both hesitated, each about to indicate to the other to go first, when Greg suddenly shouted again.

"Hold it!"

They froze and exchanged a puzzled glance. Greg smirked and pointed above their heads. They looked up to see a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the doorframe.

"Man, I thought Ecklie banned that stuff this year," Nick commented, trying to keep the smile off his face.

Greg shrugged. "What Ecklie doesn't know… c'mon Nick, kiss her."

Nick looked at Sara who, to his surprise, was grinning, clearly amused.

"C'mon Nick, I don't have cooties," she challenged.

"I never said you did," he replied, resting one hand lightly against her cheek and brushing her lips with a soft kiss.

Time stood still for an instant as their eyes met. Then, as though at some unseen signal, they both cleared their throats and moved apart.

"Well," Sara said, "I'd uh, better… Yeah."

Nick and Greg watched as she headed for the morgue to check her autopsy results.

"Uh, Nick?" Greg asked.

Nick deliberately chose to misinterpret his question.

"Yeah, you're right. Enough fun and games: let's go make that arrest."

Sara could feel her cheeks burning as she walked through the lab, and her lips still tingled from Nick's gentle kiss. She had often wondered what would happen if they both admitted that there might be something more serious behind their years of flirting, but she tried to tell herself that the kiss was nothing: just Greg playing a Christmas joke on the pair of them. Still, she couldn't help wondering – hoping – that there was more to it than that.

The cold air of the morgue reminded her that she had a case to work. The suicide rate always jumped over the holiday season, and this year was proving to be no exception. She put thoughts of Nick firmly out of her mind and focused her attention on Doc Robbins.

In the break-room later that evening, Nick too was finding it hard to stop thinking about their kiss. He was surprised that Sara hadn't objected to the idea, and at just how much of an effect kissing her had had on him. Sure, he had flirted with her for years, and had wondered what would happen if they ever took it further, but he had never really stopped to consider the possibility that he might really be falling for her.

It was very quiet in the lab – all but a skeleton crew of staff were already on vacation – so Sara's footsteps were audible well before she reached the break-room. In a flash he was on his feet, all hesitation lost. As she reached the door he was already standing in the doorway.

Sara stopped when she saw Nick blocking her path. He leaned back against the doorframe and grinned at her.

"We have to stop meeting like this," he quipped.

She smiled in spite of herself and rolled her eyes. "Just let me past, Nick. I need coffee."

"I'm not stopping you."

She shook her head in amusement and went to walk around him. As she did so he caught her arm, gently halting her, and turned her to face him, raising his eyes to cast a meaningful glance up at the mistletoe.

She looked back at him, anticipating another kiss like the one he had given her earlier, and only sorry that it was likely to be the last.

He inclined his head to meet her lips, but instead of merely brushing them he pressed his mouth gently but firmly against hers, inviting her into a deeper kiss. She responded immediately, her lips parting slightly in what was definitely far more than a Christmas joke. He slid his arms around her waist, drawing her closer, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, time and place forgotten.

Grissom looked up from the notes he was reading as he walked to see Nick and Sara locked in a far-more-than-friendly embrace and couldn't help but reflect that perhaps Nick's presence wasn't quite the gift it had seemed.


	2. Wine

**Mistletoe and Wine (or 'The Obligatory Christmas Fic')**

**Rating:** K

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI.

**Author's note:** Just a little something until I write some more chapters for Snapshots.

**Chapter Two: Wine**

December 24

Grissom was gone when Nick and Sara parted, their gazes lingering on one another's faces. They still had their arms around each other, and Sara was suddenly aware of just how quiet the lab was, as though the whole world, or at least their small corner of it, were waiting to see what would happen next.

Nick, for his part, was having trouble thinking about anything apart from how beautiful Sara's smile was. He blinked and said the first words that came into his head.

"Uh, do you have any plans for Christmas Day? Before shift, I mean."

Sara's smile widened as she anticipated an invitation. "Not really, no."

"You wanna come round to my place? I can fix us a Christmas dinner or something."

She nodded. "Sure. That'd be great."

They were silent for a moment, then awareness of where they were seeped back in. Sara dropped her arms reluctantly from around Nick's neck. "Um, we really should get back to work."

"Yeah."

"What time Christmas Day?"

"Huh? Oh, I dunno. Is one o'clock okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "One o'clock sounds good."

She finally moved around him into the break-room and he turned to go check on Greg, then looked back at her.

"Sara?"

"Yeah?" She turned towards him, and he smiled at her.

"Merry Christmas."

She smiled back. "Merry Christmas Nick."

December 25

At precisely 1pm on Christmas Day Sara knocked on Nick's door. She was wearing a red sweater over blue jeans, a casual yet flattering combination that it had taken her almost an hour to decide on.

She and Nick had worked separate cases on Christmas Eve, and she hadn't had a chance to talk to him alone since he had issued his invitation. Now he answered the door with a smile.

"Right on time. Come on in." He shut the door behind her then turned to her and, as he had two nights before, placed his hand lightly on her cheek before kissing her. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too." She smiled back. "Uh, I brought a bottle of wine."

"Perfect." He took it gently from her hand and headed towards the kitchen to open it. Not knowing what else to do, she followed him. "I did some shopping yesterday," he called over his shoulder. "I got some chestnut stuffing, and there are potatoes and a whole bunch of vegetables. The gravy's vegetarian too."

"Thanks," she said, touched by the level of consideration he had obviously put into planning the meal. "That was really thoughtful of you."

He poured them each a glass of wine and handed her one with a smile. "Anytime."

He kissed her cheek and gestured towards the living-room.

"So," she said as she sat down on the sofa and reached for the remote, "what do you want to watch?"

He shrugged. "I don't mind. Whatever's on is fine."

She nodded, then set her glass down and turned to face him with a serious expression on her face.

"What are we doing here?"

"You mean in the cosmic sense?" he asked. She gave him a withering look, and he sat down facing her on the other end of the sofa. "I was kinda hoping that you'd tell me."

She raised an eyebrow. "As I recall, you were the one who kissed me. Twice, in fact."

He smirked a little. "I didn't hear you complaining."

She swatted at him. "I'm being serious!"

"So am I!" He held up his hands in protest, then sobered. "Seriously Sara, didn't you ever wonder what'd happen if we stopped fooling around and actually started seeing each other? Didn't you ever think that maybe we could be good together? That maybe we should find out?"

"And what if we're wrong?"

"What if we're right?" He reached out and took her hand. "What if we're right, Sara?"

She took his other hand and drew him closer. "Then I think you should kiss me and we should find out."

Nick smiled and obliged. As it had at the lab, time seemed to stand still as their lips touched, parted, and met again in a slow, tender dance. Eventually they ended up seated side by side, her head resting on his shoulder.

"So," she smiled up at him. "What did you get me?"

"What makes you think I got you anything?" he teased, and she swatted him again. "Hey!" He caught her wrist gently. "Is this goin' to become an abusive relationship already?"

"That depends on whether you got me a present or not," she teased back.

"You know, if you're only going out with me for the money, you picked the wrong guy. If, on the other hand, you're after good looks and charm – "

"– Not to mention modesty and a head the size of a small planet –" she interjected

" – then I'm your man." He finished, ignoring her. "And this –" he got up and walked over to his small artificial tree, picking up the present that was underneath it "– is for you."

Her grin widened. "Can I open it?"

"Well, that depends. Have you been a good girl this year?" She pouted, and he laughed. "Go ahead."

The package was small and flat, obviously a CD.

"Norah Jones," she smiled. "I've been meaning to get this. Thank you."

He smiled back. "You're welcome." Then he bounced, puppy-like, on the sofa. "What did you get me?"

She reached into the handbag that she had dropped by the sofa and pulled out a square package.

"Now, I'm _sure_ you've been a good boy this year, so you can go ahead and open it."

He tore off the wrapping paper eagerly.

"A Magic Eight-Ball!" he exclaimed in delight. "Man, I used to have one of these in college. They're the best." He opened the box and shook the ball. "Should I go out with Sara?" he asked, then paused to wait for an answer.

"What's it say?" she asked.

He grinned at her. "It says 'it is decidedly so'."


End file.
